Prosecutor Simon Kealey told Teesside Crown Court Francis denied touching the girls in a sexual manner adding: “He said if he had touched any of the girls it was either accidental or it was appropriate to the circumstances of being a child’s teacher.”

Opening the case yesterday, Mr Kealey said the prosecution alleged the offences happened while the defendant was teaching at a primary school in North Yorkshire where the three girls were pupils.

He said Francis repeatedly touched, stroked or rubbed the girls arms, legs, back and hair. Each said they saw him touch the others.

Peter Makepeace, defending, suggested the claims were “made up” as he cross-examined two of the girls yesterday.

The jury saw police video interviews with two of the three complainants.

The first girl said: “He’s been touching us and stuff, doing things he shouldn’t really do. He’s been doing it to a few girls. He does it to different people. He did it to me.

“It happened quite a lot. It wasn’t like mean or aggressive.”

She said he touched her over her clothing.

She agreed she talked to other pupils before the interview and they had told her “all sorts of things” about Francis.

She said she knew the difference between things that happened and things that people told her.

She told people her allegations after talking to the second complainant and hearing the allegations she made.

She denied knowing the girl was making up her allegations” said Mr Makepeace. “No,” replied the girl.

“These are all things that you’ve heard, you’ve made up?” added the defence barrister. She denied this.

“You never saw Mr Francis touch any of the other children improperly either, did you?” he asked. “He did sometimes,” she responded.

Mr Makepeace said other pupils and staff were in the classroom at the time, the door was open and people could pass by the window.

The second girl said Francis touched her in “wrong places”. “I was scared he might do it quite a lot,” she added.

She broke down in tears when Mr Makepeace suggested some touching didn’t really happen.

He said: “You know full well he never did anything of the sort. He didn’t touch you in any way other than a normal way a teacher touches a pupil.”

“He did touch me sometimes wrong,” she answered.

The court heard she told her mother she was uncomfortable with the way Francis touched her.

She agreed her mum asked her if Francis had been touching her, but denied telling “a fib”.

Both girls said they generally liked Francis and he was a good teacher.

The Crown say a teaching assistant saw Francis stroking one of the girls’ neck and shoulders.

Mr Kealey said: “It seemed to her the kind of touching that one would expect to perform with a partner rather than a child with whom you’re teaching.”

Another teacher was shocked when she saw him holding the hand of one of the girls.

Mr Makepeace said trouble “blew up” after Francis told girls off over clothing worn to school.